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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26547064">The Willing Sacrifice</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang'>idrilhadhafang</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Female Character Restoration Project [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alive Paige Tico, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/F, Fix-It, Injury Recovery, Protective Poe Dameron, Protective Rose Tico</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:47:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26547064</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Jess had stayed in time for the Battle of D’Qar?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jessika Pava/Paige Tico</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Female Character Restoration Project [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909759</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Bad Day Collection</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Willing Sacrifice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: I own nothing.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>— <em>setting off the bombs, watching as they dropped onto the Dreadnaught. Paige felt a twinge of regret even as she did it; she would mourn at least the soldiers, the lower-downs who were all but forced into it —</em></p><p>
  <em>— Tallie’s voice over Paige’s comlink. “Bombs away!” — </em>
</p><p><em>— Jess’ voice. “Paige? I’m on my way.”</em> —</p><p>Paige Tico woke in that moment in medbay, hooked up to machines even as Jess sat above her, her brows furrowed, her hair coming out of its usual neat ponytail even as she looked down at Paige. </p><p>”Paige!” she said. “Thank the stars; I thought I’d lost you for a second...”</p><p>Paige grinned wryly. “You’ll have to do more than that to get rid of me.” She winced. “How bad’s the damage?”</p><p>”Kalonia says that you suffered some lack of oxygen damage. If you’d been out any longer...” Jessika paused in that moment, almost like the very idea was unthinkable. “Kriff, Paige, if you’d left me, babe...”</p><p>”I’m here.” Paige smiled, faintly. “I’m okay.” She ran a finger along the moon medallion that hung around her neck. “You scoff at it...but that thing was probably looking out for me, even now.”</p><p>”I got you out of the ship in time, babe,” Jess said, smiling. “A medallion had nothing to do with it.”</p><p>Paige snorted. Her ribs throbbed, and she winced. “How’s Rose?”</p><p>”She pretty much went nuts. So did the General. I actually had to argue for her not to demote Poe.”</p><p>”Demote Poe?” Paige couldn’t imagine. “But...I made my choice! The bombing team was getting finished off; I had to act. Does General Organa think so little of me that she thinks a <em>man</em> made my choice for me?”</p><p>Jess sighed. “No idea. She’s just been...I don’t know how to describe it. Ever since Han died at Starkiller Base, she’s just become a completely different person. I...” A beat. “And considering she let off her darling brother for getting in an X-wing and blowing something up, I think she’s just a hypocrite. And she can go ahead and demote me; I mean, I don’t give a damn. She doesn’t insult my friend like that, or the woman I love.”</p><p>Paige smiled. “That’s my Jess.”</p><p>Poe and Rose entered later, Rose exclaiming in joy that Paige was alive, and Poe apologizing profusely for what nearly happened. “Are you okay?” he said. </p><p>Paige grinned. “If that was your plan to get rid of me, I’d say that’s a poor one.”</p><p>”Paige, that’s not funny,” Poe said. He sat down across from her in that moment, BB-8 wheeling up next to him. “We did what we could. Just to keep the Resistance safe. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt or killed. Not like this.”</p><p>”Right.” Paige took a deep breath. “I trusted you, Poe. I knew you weren’t just using me as a dejarik piece. I just did.”</p><p>Poe smiled faintly, but it was a sad one. </p><p>It was something that Paige was relieved for, in that moment, just being surrounded by her friend, her girlfriend, and her sister. She could have lost a lot, she knew that. </p><p>***</p><p>Leia visited later. Paige doubted she had looked so tired, at least in that moment. “Are you well, Paige?” she said. </p><p>”I am. I think you were harsh on Poe,” Paige said. “And you overlook the fact that when I volunteered for the Dreadnaught expedition, I volunteered. Poe didn’t force me into it.”</p><p>”I’m not saying — ”</p><p>“You could call me a willing sacrifice if you could, General,” Paige said. </p><p>Leia looked pained. Paige continued. “What about D’Qar? That thing wasn’t just firing on us, but other, innocent people. Poe wasn’t doing it out of revenge and neither was I. Neither one of us would do something like that.”</p><p>”I know.” Leia said. “I was...irrational. Slightly. I was scared for you.”</p><p>”Scared.”</p><p>”Of course. I’m scared for everyone who fights the First Order.”</p><p>Paige nodded. “Is Poe...”</p><p>”No. Jess at least advised me to leave it up to you.” A beat. “And you should probably volunteer that information when you’re well, Paige. Get some rest.”</p><p>”I will.”</p><p>After all, when the General gave you an order, you followed it. </p>
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